Traffic control devices are well known. There are numerous examples in the prior art of various devices to control or limit traffic access to restricted areas. Recent terrorist attacks have presented numerous problems for controlling traffic access to highly secured areas. Local, state and federal governments have elevated concerns for securing areas from the threats of terrorists. The military has elevated concerns for securing military bases as well.
Terrorist attacks on embassies, and other sites of foreign governments or corporations have become commonplace. Some of the more notorious attacks have involved terrorists driving large trucks laden with explosives through the gates of an embassy or other secured sites and detonating the explosives. In response to these attacks, many such sites have installed a variety of barriers in front of their gates. However, the barriers installed at these installations also obstruct the passage of authorized vehicles.
Examples of some pertinent prior art patents are listed and discussed below:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,600, issued on Nov. 25, 1986 to R. H. Wagner, et al, and entitled ANTI-TERRORIST VEHICLE IMPALER. This patent discloses a barrier device disposed in a trench in a roadway with an impaler arm that pivots into an oncoming vehicle when released by an explosive charge. The impaler arm is secured in place by a trigger that releases by the explosive charge, and a counter weight on the opposite end of the impaler arm. The counterweight is of sufficient mass so that the pivoting impaler arm turns about the pivot under the force of gravity, thereby thrusting the impaler arm above the surface of the roadway. The impaler arm projects at an angle toward a vehicle to be stopped, which is impaled by the arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,426, issued on Nov. 10, 1987 to B. A. Perea entitled SECURITY AND DEFENSE BARRIER discloses a vault buried within and transverse to the roadway. The vault has within a latched plurality of barrier arms that may be raised by any powered means, or manually, and raised barrier arms are positioned within the vault so that impact forces are transmitted directly to the vault and to a foundation, and little or no load is supported by a pivoting mechanism. The raised barrier arms have a hook on the end so that the speeding vehicle attacking the barrier will be snagged and prevented from inadvertently or intentionally vaulting the barrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,215 issued, Sep. 28, 1993, to M. Fladung entitled ROAD BARRICADE. This patent discloses a car park barricade that is fastened to the road surface with a barricade element optionally positioned parallel to the road surface or in a position at an angle thereto. The barricade element is swiveled upwards about an axis parallel to the road surface and vertical to the blocking direction by means of a drive mechanism comprising a spindle element.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,512 B1, issued Mar. 9, 2004 to G. S. Reale entitled VEHICLE ARRESTING INSTALLATION. This patent discloses a barrier for blocking the passage of a vehicle wherein the barrier has a bollard post positioned to obstruct a vehicle path. The post is coupled to piercing bars or pikes that are normally kept in a compact stand-by state in a recessed housing bordering the vehicle path. The bars deploy pivotally when the vehicle strikes and pivots back the post. The bars or pikes impale the body of the vehicle and break away in an assembly together with the barrier post, to interfere with continued or powered driving of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,997,638 B2, issued Feb. 14, 2006 to C. J. Hensley, et al entitled ANTI-TERRORIST ROAD BLOCK. This patent discloses a road block having an extendible bollard that is manually or electronically actuated by a powerful spring force for slow extension, and by both the spring and a power lift for rapid expansion.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,304 B2, issued Oct. 10, 2006 to R. R. Turpin and Joey W. Blair (the inventor hereof) entitled AUTOMATIC SELF CONTAINED COLLAPSIBLE TRAFFIC BARRIER BOLLARD SYSTEM. This patent discloses a collapsible traffic barrier located in a steel vault. A rod is rotatably mounted to support members inside the vault, wherein the rod extends across the vault from end to end. A plurality of bollards are secured to the rod near the first end thereof, whereby rotation of the rod rotates the bollards upward at an angle above the roadway and into the direction of an oncoming vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,641,416 B2, issued Jan. 5, 2010 to G. D. Miracle entitled VEHICLE BARRIER DEPLOYMENT SYSTEM. This patent discloses a system having at least two lifting members, at least one barrier member, and an actuation assembly. The lifting members are pivotally secured to a base member, and are operable to be selectively raised and lowered in a vertical direction relative to the base member. The barrier member is in communication with the lifting members, and is configured to stop a moving vehicle when the lifting members are in a raised position. The actuation assembly is in communication with lifting members, and is operable to selectively raise and lower the lifting members by moving at least a portion of each of the lifting members in a direction transverse to the traffic lane.
All of the prior art devices suffer from one or more disadvantages that are overcome by the system and structure of the present invention disclosed hereinbelow. Most of the prior art devices discussed above will only stop vehicles going in one direction, unlike the system of the present invention. As a result of the structure of the present invention vehicles may be stopped in multi directions, especially both directions in a single roadway. Moreover, many of the prior art devices require a lubricant or hydraulic fluid to operate, which creates environmental problems.